A Knock At The Door
by Jordzy2j
Summary: Alex Mercer is tired of hiding. Chased by an unknown enemy, he seeks out his revenge. But his revenge is short lived, as he realises all is not what he expected. Drawn into a world he never knew existed, he begins his path to being a [PROTOTYPE].
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**- Greetings readers! Welcome to my first ever story! What started out as an English paper became an idea. I want to apologise in advance for two things. 1) I'm from South Africa. We use British English, so if you think there's a spelling mistake, it's probably just our way. 2) I know this is very short compared to most chapters, but I gotta start with baby steps! Criticism is gladly accepted, as I'm always looking to improve. Thanks for reading!

**A Knock at the Door**

**Prologue**

"Knock knock"

"Who's there?"

"Death"

"Death Who?"

And in a coarse whisper that would scare Satan Himself, came the reply. "Death's–a–comin' to get you."

Alex Mercer - as he was now known - sat up in his bed, panting and sweating. He hadn't had a bad dream in…Actually, he couldn't remember the last time he had a bad dream. The heat radiated off his body like a fireplace, so he decided to go outside and cool down. Standing on the deck, he looked at the city that lay before him. The lights were beautiful. "Man, that breeze is good." He thought to himself. He surprised himself by reminiscing about his previous life – Something he seldom did. Thoughts raced through his head. "Was it worth it? Leaving behind his…talents…for a normal life?" He was wide awake, and for the rest of the night until dawn, he sat outside, just watching the world.

**Chapter 1**

Alexander Mercereign - as was his birth name – was born into a wealthy family. An intellectual genius, he taught himself, and hardly ever went to school. By age 15 he was self-studying third year university with ease. At nineteen, he opened his own science lab. He focused on changing human nature. His ultimate goal was to give every human the ability to understand and manipulate the laws of quantum-entanglement – a form of advanced physics. If his experiments were successful, people would be able to move objects with nothing but the power of their minds. He knew it was quite cliché, but he couldn't let that stop him.

Unsurprisingly, he didn't have many people helping him with his experiments, as many believed he was crazy to believe it was possible. The loyal few who followed him were rewarded handsomely. Money was never a problem for him, due to his ridiculous sum of inheritance. His parents died in a car crash. No murder, no killing, no suspicious deaths. Your average, unfortunate car crash. After years of experimentation, he had finally done it. It was done, and he was now 23. No minor mistakes or side effects. But, however, a colleague of his was going to steal his idea. Alex first tested the serum on himself, and the results were better than anyone had ever anticipated. His treacherous colleague wanted to steal the idea, and sell it to the highest bidder. As Alex injected himself, the traitor stole the batch and ran off. Alex, seething with rage, flung himself fifty metres into the air, only to land on the traitor. He saw the face, and realised it was Christopher Mathews. As Alex subdued him, he saw that the batch was destroyed in the struggle. All of it. There was no more left. Seeing his chance, Christopher took advantage of the distraction and stabbed Alex in the neck with a pen. On the floor, bleeding out, he was helpless. Christopher ran away, and told his buyer the bad news.

Being the only one with the knowledge of the serum – as well as having it inside him – Alex was hunted by the mysterious buyer. A tedious game of cat and mouse followed for many years. Alex eventually became used to his powers. Jumping fifty feet in the air, superhuman strength, and telekinesis were all possessed by him. It was hard for him at first; being able to control himself. He did not enjoy killing his pursuers, but if push came to shove, he would do whatever was necessary.

After a few years, he realised that the only real way he was ever going to truly escape his pursuers (without killing everyone in sight) was to stop running, change his identity and try to live a normal life. He gave himself an almost identical name in an attempt to throw off his pursuers.

He had no need to work (his inheritance would take care of that), so he passed the time of day by painting, drawing, reading, and keeping himself in shape. He tried to stay away from girlfriends and one-night stands, as he preferred to stay 'below the radar'. It was a lonely life, but at least it was a fairly normal one. He still used his powers to grab things from the other side of the room every once in a while, if he was having a lazy day.

After five years on the run, and two years in hiding, Alex was now 30. He was quite bored with life, so decided to discretely find out more about his enemies. He was sick of repeatedly referring to them as his "pursuers". He needed a name. A face. Anything. But he had to do it quietly. He thought for a while, and suddenly remembered his dad's old friend James Saynar; a private investigator. "He would know what to do…" He thought.

After scouring pages and pages of internet pages, Alex finally found the address. 27 Briar Street. After jumping into his Astin Martin DB9, he soon found his destination. It was not what he was expecting. A dreary, morbid place that looked about as fun as a concentration camp. His Astin was definitely out of place.

He knocked on the door. As he was waiting, he felt a strange presence. He felt a chill going up his spine. "Death's-a-comin'"…The door opened and Alex jumped in fright.

"Whattya want?" Said the man in the doorway.

"James Saynar?" Asked Alex

"Yeah? Whattya want? You not tryna sell me something are you?"

"What? No. It's me James. Alex."

"I don't care what your name is, I…Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Alexander? Alexander Mercereign? Is that you?"

"Yeah James, it's me."

"Well ain't this a surprise!" He grinned in disbelief. "Come in, come in!"

The first thing Alex noticed as he walked inside was that it was nothing like the outside. High tech computers and electronics of all kinds littered shelves, tables, desks, chairs, couches, the walls, the floor, and even some of the ceiling. Staring in awe at everything around him, James noticed him gaping.

"Quite a sight isn't it?" Chuckled James.

"Yeah, you don't say…"

"Unfortunately, it's a bit of a mess, too."

"No worries."

He managed to stop marveling, and got on with business.

"So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"Can I sit?"

"Yes, yes, of course."

Sitting down, he chose his words, and began his tale.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After many hours and cups of coffee, Alex was finally done. He leaned back into his chair, closed his eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's quite a tale you've got there…forgive me for saying, but I find this hard to believe. Do you have any proof?"

Alex sighed again, opened his eyes, and lifted a cup of coffee from the other side of the room, and guided it gently into his hand.

"Holy shit…" James whispered to no one in particular.

"Yeah, most people react differently to that. Yours is actually one of the better responses." Alex said half-jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"You don't say…" He replied, mumbling incoherently.

"Anyway James, I came here for a reason. I…uh..." He sighed. "I need your help"

"Oooohh no. No way. Uh uh. After what you've told me, there's no way I'm getting involved"

"James, please. I don't need a lot done. All I ask of you is just two things."

"_Just_two things?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"I'm ganna regret this…Yeah, ok, Whattya need?"

"All I ask of you is a name and a face."

"Of?"

"The unknown soldier."

"Really?"

"No you idiot, the guys who are following me. I need to find out who their boss is, or at least get a hold of someone who can tell me."

"Alex, with what you've told me, do you have any idea how fucking impossible that sounds? Guys with resources like that, they'll hunt me down with ease. I've got no chance, even with all my high-tech gear."

Alex chuckled. "Maybe, but I've got a few ideas that can help you."

"Like?"

"You'll have to come back with me to my place, you'll understand

later"

He eyed him suspiciously and sighed. "Yeah, 's okay I guess"

Arriving at Alex's mansion, James was constantly in awe. "Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit…" He kept whispering to himself.

"Ya know", Alex said, turning to James, "It's not that impressive"

"It's not only the mansion. I think I was in shock before. All of a sudden I've realised the weight and seriousness of the situation."

Alex laughed at that. " Hahaha, you get used to it after a while." Alex said as he opened the front door.

"How long did it take you to adjust?" Asked James nervously

"Meh, only a few years."

"WHAT?! A few years?! I…"

Alex cut him off before he could finish. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, relax. You've seen it. I had to _live_ with it. I think you'll be fine by the end of the day. Hell, in fact, you're pretty much normal already."

"Yeah well…" James mumbled curses under his breath.

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "Well, here we are." Alex said as they arrived at a strange looking door. "You ready?"

"Yup"

"Alright, stand back"

Shuffling back, James eyed the door cautiously.

Alex pressed a few buttons, and a strange light emitted from the door frame. A high-pitched noise filled James' ears. An electronic voice came to life, and James could have sworn it said something along the lines of "Frooglewacker."

"Orange, fifty, yellow, twenty, red, twenty, green, ten." Alex said to the door.

"Hello, Mr Mercer." The electronic voice said.

All the equipment moved back into the door frame.

Alex looked at James. James looked absolutely bewildered. "Don't ask." Said Alex, laughing loudly.

Man, this guy laughs a lot, James thought to himself.

As Alex opened the door, James was already gasping and staring in awe at everything in sight.

"You ever seen the movie _Tron_, Alex?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. Why do you ask?"

"This room reminds of it."

The room was like nothing James had ever seen before. Fluorescent lights popped in and out of sight. It seemed that there were more pieces of technology in this room than James had seen in his whole life. He tried to name everything he could, but all he saw was this…this…this _stuff_. He couldn't name anything at first glance. Except lights. He knew what those were.

Alex stopped and turned to him. "Okay, first things first, do you want to ask me anything related to the mission? Not in the room, the mission."

"Ahhhhhh…"

"No? Ok, good. Now it's my turn to ask the questions. What camera do you have?

"Huh? Oh, um…Cannon 1DX."

"Really? Shit, that's better than I expected. How the hell did you manage to afford that?" Alex knew that it was the best camera in the world, costing more than some cars. Well, the best on the public market, anyway. He chuckled to himself.

"It's ay, uh, haha, funny story actually. I…"

"You know what? Never mind about that. You can tell me later."

"Oh…kay…?"

Alex beckoned him over with a finger, and James came in for a closer look at whatever he was going to show him. "The 1DX is good, James. With 16 frames per second, phenomenal ISO, wider range of F"Stop, it's the best in the world."

"I'm guessing, then, you have something better?"

Alex smiled. "'Course I do." Alex touched a button on a table, and a small, black object appeared from a compartment. "James, say hello to the AM94. This little guy is your new best friend."

"Specs?"

"Let's just say…It's complicated." Alex said with a sly smile.

James raised an eyebrow at that, but decided to let it go.

Going back to James' house, Alex caught James' daydreaming.

"What's on your mind, James? You seem pretty distant."

"You know, when I was younger," James said, still staring out the window, "I always wanted to be a part of something like this. You know, like, the comic books and stuff. Now that I'm a part of this though, I think Stan Lee was a freakin' moron."

"Yeah…well, when I was younger, I was trying to build my own mini particle accelerator, so I've uh…Yeah…I got no idea what you're talking about."

It was James' turn to laugh.

"Well, we're here." James announced, stopping the car.

James turned to face him. "Hmm? Oh yeah. Uhhh…Thanks, I guess."

"You alright man?" Alex asked, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He opened the car door and got out. He closed the door without saying goodbye.

Alex was concerned. Not only for his friends mood, but what was causing it. Alex had a sudden thought, and raced back home.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Hello to the 3 people reading this! Apologies for an extremely short chapter, but I wanted this to be a filler. A set up, if you will. If you'd like me to merge it with another chapter instead, then just ask and I will be happy to oblige!

**Chapter 3**

Alex felt a bit ashamed doing it, but he had deemed it necessary. Parking his car, Alex got out and went into his study. He logged onto his Mac, and accessed the records of Interpol, FBI, CIA, and the NSA all in one program. It was sort of a hacked search engine he developed. Alex moved the cursor to the search bar.

"James Saynar"

Alex waited while it searched. A PI of James' reputation would definitely be in the system. Alex's train of thought was interrupted by a shrill beep.

"What the hell?"

The screen read: "NO RESULTS FOUND"

Alex thought, and thought, and thought some more, but no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't think of a valid reason why James wouldn't be in the system.

He didn't want to ask James about it, although he didn't really know why. Alex decided to try a different approach. He ran a program that developed anagrams, and fed all the results into the search bar.

Alex waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, a shrill beep filled his ears.

"No…"

"NO RESULTS FOUND"

"NO RESULTS FOUND"

"NO RESULTS FOUND"

"NO RESULTS FOUND"

"NO RESULTS FOUND"

"NO RESULTS FOUND"

"NO RESULTS FOUND"

"NO RESULTS FOUND"

"Aaaagghhh!" Alex shouted in frustration.

Before anything in the room could meet his fists, he decided to jump in the pool to cool down.

After a long swim, Alex got out and breathed heavily. He hadn't got that angry in a very long time. Strangely, though, he still didn't know why he was angry.

Why had a simple search – rather, failed search – caused him so much worry? He had a feeling it had something to do with his predatory instincts that came with being superhuman. His gut (or instincts) kept telling him something was wrong. But that's the problem with listening to your gut; you don't know what it's trying to tell you until it happens.

Alex sat on a lounger and thought about what to do next. I think I should relax, he thought to himself. He was just about to lie down when his superhuman ears picked up on something. Snap. Crack. Whisper. Metal sliding on metal. Click. High frequency noise. Alex knew what it all meant. He sighed and smiled evilly. His inner [PROTOTYPE] had been unleashed. "Let the games begin."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I just wanna say I appreciate everyone reading up to this point. I know it's been a slow start, but from this chapter on, the action will increase **

**Also! People have been asking about Alex's powers, or, rather, his lack of them. No claws or whips yet, but trust me, they're comin'. **

**I worked really hard on this chapter, trying to grab your attention; so please take the time to leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcome – Nay, encouraged! – And I'd really appreciate it. Thanks guys and girls, you're the best…all four of you. **

**Chapter 4**

Alex jumped onto the roof of his house and quickly surveyed the scene. He counted the men. One, two, three, four…All the way up to twenty.

But then he saw something he'd never seen before. An absolute brute of a man, he was clearly much bigger and much stronger than the rest of his squad.

"Holy crap. He's one big motherfucker. At least 9 foot tall." Alex whispered to himself.

The squad was talking among themselves.

"Where the hell is he? Dammit, our intel is shit." Said a soldier.

Then the big guy spoke in a deep, sonorous voice: "Don't question the intel, grunt. He's here."

"Yeah, whatever."

The brute walked over to him and placed two fingers on his neck. He flicked his wrist, and the soldier's neck snapped like a twig.

"Anybody else wanna talk to me like that?"

His question was met with silence.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now spread out, and find him."

Alex thought about what to do. _I can definitely immobilise the grunts, but I'll have to kill the brute. 20 plus the brute, minus the dead grunt. That still leaves 20. Well, the brute's worth at least 10, so that's 30. Shit. Well, better get started._

Alex waited a short while, until four of them were close together. Alex got into a crouch, charging his jump, and pounced.

He landed with each foot meeting a shoulder of the two men walking side by side.

_Try and hold a gun with those arms._

Before the two soldiers in front of him could react, he punched one in the hip bone, leaving him unable to walk; while the other was greeted with a hard kick to the thigh, breaking his leg.

_26 left_

Alex ran into the garden, and hid between the foliage.

Soldiers flocked to their fallen comrades, and searched for Alex.

"OKAY!" Announced the brute, addressing his squad. "We know he didn't come back in our direction. Check the roof, and check around the back. If he's not there, look in and around the garden."

A swift, "YES SIR!" followed.

Alex looked around for decent size rocks. He saw a few scattered near the base of a tree, and quickly, but quietly, gathered them. He looked around for his targets, and saw them coming back from their search.

Alex closed his eyes, and began breathing deeply. As he opened them, time seemed to slow down. With superhuman speed, he aimed at the first soldier's head, and threw. As soon as the first rock left his hand, he picked up another, and threw again. Within the space of just under a second, six soldiers collapsed for no apparent reason.

The brute scanned the garden, and his eyes met Alex's. Alex knew that a stealthy approach was no longer an option.

"OVER THERE!"

Alex raced towards the oncoming soldier's, his ingenious brain working out a plan.

_20 left. Slide into the first one, breaking his ankles. 19. While getting up, jab the solar plexus' of soldiers in front of me. 17. Will have to fight the rest._

Alex processed all of this within a matter of seconds, and executed his plan. With 17 left, it was time to fight.

A pistol was raised at Alex's head; he grabbed the gunman's wrist, and squeezed until it broke.

_16_

The rest of the soldiers fired at Alex, and he rolled out the way to avoidthe hail of gunfire. Most of the bullets grazed his flesh, but unless direct contact was made, he just shrugged them off. Alex quickly scanned himself.

_No direct contact. That was lucky_.

He took advantage of the soldiers having to reload. It might have only taken them a second or so, but Alex being Alex…That was all he needed. He rushed over to the nearest soldier, punching him in jaw.

_15_

The soldiers no longer had time for their guns, and tried to simultaneously tackle Alex. With his lightning fast reflexes, Alex dodged one, caught another, and threw him into a third.

_13_

The soldiers were getting up, and although Alex didn't enjoy hitting a man when he was down, he considered this an emergency.

He kicked one in the ribs, breaking them as the victim screamed in pain.

_12_

The remaining two soldiers circled Alex, unsure of what to do.

Attacking from behind, a soldier wrapped him arms around Alex's neck.

While distracted, the other soldier searched for his gun, and picked it up off the ground.

Alex saw what was going to happen before it happened. As the soldier in front of him searched the ground, Alex leaned his head forward, and sharply brought it back. The attacker cried as blood spurted from his nose.

Without realising what Alex had done, the other soldier instinctively shot what he thought was Alex in front of him.

Alex had already dived out of the way, however, knowing what was about to come.

The soldier's bullet entered his comrade's head.

_11_

The remaining soldier looked up, and saw a flash of black.

Alex began to breathe heavily after his foot met the grunt's face.

"And now," he said, panting. "That's ten"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

Alex stared around at the carnage that lay before him. His plan seemed to have worked perfectly, but something was missing.

_This doesn't feel right. I…wait a second…Shit…10 left. Kinda_

Alex turned to the brute, who was leaning against a tree, arms folded, staring quite calmly at the scene before him.

"You didn't think that I'd forgotten about you, now did you? …Mr Mercereign."

_Shit_

"My superiors told me of your skills, but I found it hard to believe someone could fight as well as me. I guess I was wrong."

The brute pushed himself off the tree, and began to walk slowly towards Alex. They started circling each other, sizing each other up.

_Big usually means cumbersome. I have a feeling this guy is different. Let's see._

With lightning speed, Alex picked up a rock and threw it at the brute.

The brute sidestepped extremely quickly, just as Alex had expected.

"What? You think a small rock is going to injure me?" A surprisingly high pitched laugh escaped from his mouth.

_Cocky, not too smart. But still fast. Damn. All of his limbs, his torso, and his neck are like tree trunks. No chance there. Eyes? No, I'll never get close enough._

"You don't talk much, do you?" The brute asked sarcastically, clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly.

As that was happening, Alex noticed something unusual.

_He's got freakishly small fingers. Hmmm. Weird. But good for me._

Alex smiled.

"Wow, it shows emotion!"

"Would you please shut the hell up?"

"Astonishing! It speaks!"

Alex growled in irritation, and headed for the brute.

The brute's face suddenly turned serious, and he readied himself.

At the last second, Alex raised his arm, and connected with the brute's neck.

A soft "dunk" followed.

"HA! Was that supposed to hurt me?" The brute asked as he and Alex traded blows.

Alex ignored him, and carried on swinging. Each blow was deflected, each strike parried, and their hands were a blur.

Alex's timing was perfect. As the brute attempted a jab, Alex deflected it with his palm, breaking all of his fingers.

The brute cried out in pain, and swung his good hand in Alex's direction.

Alex still had all his focus on the parry, and didn't see it coming.

WHAM!

Alex was knocked to the other side of the garden, groaning in agony.

The brute walked towards him, gently massaging his broken hand.

Alex was down and almost out.

_Guy's gotta helluva punch, I'll give him that._

"Well, guess I didn't need to call for back-up then, hey? I called earlier, just in case I had trouble. I'll cancel it now."

The brute slowly walked over to Alex, tormenting him.

He crouched down on top of Alex, and wrapped his good hand around his neck. The brute grinned, and began to squeeze.

After what felt like hours, Alex felt the strangling coming to an end.

_No…He's not releasing…I'm…I'm going…Fuck…_

_Death's a comin'…_

_What the…? _

But before Alex could think about anything else, a surge of adrenalin - one the likes of which he had never felt before – coursed through his veins, and a new found energy consumed him.

Alex started fighting back. The brute couldn't believe his eyes. Alex raised his legs, and started pushing as hard as he could.

"Aaaaaaaaaa…rrrrrrrrr…AGGGHHHHHHHH!" Alex screamed, the brute flying off of him.

Alex breathed heavily for a few seconds, and then blacked out.

Alex awoke from his slumber, feeling both exhilarated and exhausted.

"What the hell happened?" Alex asked himself as he sat up, rubbing his head.

He examined the garden. The brute was nowhere in sight, but the grunts bodies still littered the grass.

But then Alex noticed something unusual. The grunts seemed to be in more…parts…than he left them in.

_Wait a minute…I didn't kill any of them…Where have all their limbs gone?_

Alex stood up stiffly, and painfully walked over to the bodies.

_Holy crap. It looks like they've been ripped apart by dogs. Fucking big dogs. _

Alex heard a growl behind him, and reluctantly turned around.

_No. Fucking. Way._

Alex was facing a massive monster of grotesque proportions. It looked a bit like a massive dog. Except red, rotting, and soaked in blood. Strangely, though, even though it was walking like a dog on all fours; it began to stand up like a man.

_What the hell is that thing doing? Sniffing? Yeah, seems to be. Doesn't seem to have eyes either. What in the hell is this thing? Well, I'll need a name for it. _

Suddenly, the thing unleashed a feral snarl, and leapt at Alex.

Alex did not anticipate the thing's speed, and, for the second time that day, Alex had something on top of him.

The thing's jaws were snapping at Alex's neck, furiously trying to sink its teeth into his flesh.

Alex turned his head to the side, trying to avoid the jaws.

Alex remembered what he did earlier, and began pushing against the thing.

"Get off of me, you big ugly fuck!"

Alex eventually managed to push the thing off of him, but it only stumbled back.

Alex took advantage of the situation, got up, and plunged his fist straight through the thing's chest.

Howling in pain, the thing stopped fighting, and went limp.

All of a sudden, tendrils erupted from inside the thing, and forced themselves into Alex.

Alex prepared for pain, but then realised he had no reason to. The tendrils seemed to give him strength, and the thing evaporated into red mist.

Once again, Alex felt that surge of adrenalin, and immediately felt fresh and new.

Alex sat down, and put his head in his hands. His hands started to tremble, and seemed to vibrate on their own.

"What the…?"

Alex's arms started glowing, and turned red; spikes protruding from his skin. His fingers grew into long claws, a mix between tungsten and titanium. Alex couldn't believe his eyes.

Once again, for the second time that day, Alex passed out.


End file.
